On A Cold Winter Night
by Fickle Ink
Summary: As the Christmas season arrives at Hogwarts, so too has a few surprises for Miss Lily Evans.  A fluffy fic about the budding relationship between Lily and James.  Chapter 1 is up!


On A Cold Winter Night

_Chapter 1_

It had been a wonderful day. Minus the chilling bite to your cheeks when the wind picked up, of course, but that was to be expected this time of year. It was nearing Christmas after all and cold air seemed to go with it like decorations.

Lily's red hair stood out more than usual during this season, for the ground of Hogsmeade was coated with fresh snow. She even seemed to match the red and green signs hanging from the shop windows.

_**Happy Holidays!**_

She wrapped her robes closer to her body and gave a little shiver. The temperature seemed to drop rapidly as the sun started to set. The swinging lanterns on Hogsmeade's cobble-stone main street began to turn on. _A warm butterbeer sounds wonderful right now. I wonder if The Three Broomsticks is still open…_

_Merlin! What's this?_

Lily seemed to have walked right into a little cardboard box, nearly knocking it over to its side. A small yelp – or rather, bark – resounded from the…the _thing_ in it. Whimpers came from the snow covered box. _No wonder I didn't see it. It's almost fully buried by the weather._ The red-headed girl bent over and peered inside, only to recoil as the box suddenly shook. "Ack!"

Her curiosity, however, was responsible for her gazing over again. "Aww, it's only a puppy." True, it was a little dog, curled up from the frigid weather. Lily fished through her pockets. "Where's that _blasted_ wand – Ah, here it is!" She pointed at the box the puppy was in and transfigured it into a blue blanket. "There, that must be more comfortable." Lily picked up the little whimpering bundle.

* * *

"Lily! You _what?_ Did you talk to Dumbledore about this?" 

"Not yet. I don't see why he would have a problem with it, seeing as though he lets owls and such in."

"Anyway, Jenna, haven't you seen it? She's _absolutely _adorable!" Natalie called from the other bed, her curtains drawn around it. Only moments later, "Ah! It bit me!"

Jenna tried stifling a giggle with no success. "Adorable, huh?"

"Have you named it yet?" Natalie drew back the curtains, revealing her comforter being wedged between the puppy's teeth.

"No. And besides, she's not an 'it'."

"What about Spot?" Serena offered, tucking a blonde lock behind her ear.

"Too original. How's Maggie?"

"Sounds like a person and anyways, how do we know she's not a _male_?" Natalie raised an eyebrow.

"The puppy is a female. I already checked." Lily stated, walking over to Natalie's bed. "I think I like the name Cocoa." It was only fitting to give the little puppy a name that would remind her of the cold night she found her. She began to pry the blanket from the puppy's tight mouth with no such luck. "Merlin, she's stubborn." She tugged again. Then, even more forcefully.

Craaaaash!

"Haha!"

"Can someone help me up?" Lily staggered back on her feet with the help of Jenna. She looked at the puppy still gnawing on the blanket and sighed. "Natalie, it looks like you'll be having company in your bed tonight."

* * *

"Cocoa, don't chew on that!" Lily snatched her Care of Magical Creatures' essay away from the awaiting teeth. "What have I told you about not eating my parchment? It gives you indigestion." She quickly placed the cap on her ink bottle before Cocoa found out what that tasted like as well. "What am I gonna do with you? You obviously don't want me to get any work done." Lily sighed as Cocoa stared at her intently. Cocoa tilted her head to the side, barking in anticipation with her ears flopped up and down. "Alright, alright, let's take a walk." 

It was surprisingly easy to conceal the small puppy under the multiple layers of her winter robes. She waited to set Cocoa down until she neared the Quidditch Pitch, where she was certain no Professor would spot them from that distance. For Cocoa, Lily couldn't have placed her on the ground fast enough. The puppy leapt from Lily's arms and into the snow, bounding herself into the small piles. Lily laughed, watching this tiny puppy disappear into the snow and pop her head back out again. Because of Cocoa's light tan color, she seemed to blend into the snow a little too well._ A small leash would probably be a good idea for the next time we take a walk…_

Lily was so distracted by her new little companion that she didn't even notice the nearing Quidditch players walking back from practice. "Lily! Hey, Lily!" A lanky, messy haired boy with black rimmed glasses waved his broomstick in the air to get her attention. "Lily!"

The sound of her name startled her and she looked up from the puppy that was playing at her side. "Oh, hi there, James. How was practice?" She couldn't help feeling little flutters in her stomach as the boy neared even closer.

"Intense as usual. We are getting ready for the match against Ravenclaw. We are ready for them if you ask me though." He smirked and shifted his broomstick from his left hand to his right.

The broomstick must have caught Cocoa's attention because the next thing both James and Lily saw was a small blur leap up into the air and a puppy latching her small teeth on the tip of the handle.

"Cocoa! Bad girl, get down! Get down!" Lily scolded, reaching out to disconnect the dog from the broomstick. "That's not a chew toy!" Finally after quite a few growls and a good tug on Lily's part, Cocoa landed back into the snow looking rather disgruntled. "I'm so sorry. I can fix those bite marks if you'd like…"

James chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I've had to repair this broomstick in much worse conditions. Is the puppy yours?"

"Yes, well, kinda I guess…you see, I found her two nights ago at Hogsmeade. I just couldn't bear to leave her." Lily looked down fondly at the small creature. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Hiding a dog at Hogwarts. I never would have guessed you would do something so reckless. I have to say I'm impressed." His eyes seemed to twinkle a little, _or maybe it's just the way the sun is hitting his brown eyes. _"Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks," she muttered with relief. The chilliness of the wind began to pick up and she shivered. "Well, I should be heading in." She bent down to pick Cocoa up.

"Maybe next time you and Cocoa go for a walk I could join you. I know of a good spot, right over those hills there, away from the school doors." He reached out his hand and petted Cocoa behind the ears.

"That sounds wonderful," Lily said, just before beginning her way back to the school, a smile forming on her lips. "Perhaps tomorrow, same time?" She yelled back to him, watching as he nodded then mounted his broomstick.

Lily tucked Cocoa in the folds of her robes, ignoring the small growls, as she felt a rush of excitement for what tomorrow was going to bring….

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! I would really appreciate reviews. They are my inspirations to keep writing. 


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